Lemon Sage Curd

October 6, 2013

Food is my art. From the time I was a little girl I always wanted to be an artist. I would paint, draw, you name it. They weren’t masterful creations but most childhood art is nothing to brag about and my parents always encouraged me to stick with it. As I grew older I tried my hand at different artistic endeavors. I took classes in sketching, graphic design, web design and photography. I tried jewelry making, ceramics, sculpting and poetry. Either I didn’t like it enough to stick with it or I was just incredibly mediocre. All I wanted was to be artistic but I didn’t have the right eye for it.

And then I discovered food.

Food gave me the power to express myself creatively. It has given me confidence and, as an added bonus, has allowed me to grow as a food photographer.

I find inspiration for my recipes and photography in all sorts of places. This lemon sage curd recipe was inspired by a radio show I often listen to called The Splendid Table. She took a question from a caller and I honestly don’t even remember what it was about but she discussed how lemon and sage are incredibly complimentary flavors. And at that moment I knew I wanted to make a lemon sage curd. And yes, the flavors go amazingly well together.

In a medium saucepan, whisk eggs, egg yolks and sugar together until smooth. Whisk the corn starch together with some of the lemon juice to create a slurry.

Whisk the lemon juice and the slurry into the egg mixture. Add the sage leaves.

Continue to whisk over medium heat until thick, 10-15 minutes. It should be the consistency of pudding. Make sure the whisk hits the bottom of the pot to keep the bottom from burning. This is less likely to happen if you use a heavy bottom saucepan.

Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in pieces of the butter.

Move the curd to a bowl, allow it to cool for several minutes and then press plastic wrap against the top of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to chill in the refrigerator with the sage leaves. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

After 2 or more hours, remove the sage leaves either by hand or by using a fine mesh strainer. Make sure to squeeze any curd from the leaves back into the bowl (that curd will have the most sage flavor). Once the leaves are removed, stir the curd to evenly disperse the sage flavor.

Store curd in the refrigerator with plastic wrap pushed directly against the curd to prevent a skin from forming.

Well, food definitely is your art and you’re certainly not mediocre at this one. Your photography is one of my favorites among food bloggers. I love the sage and lemon idea. I actually have both in my fridge right now and it’s a rainy day….off to the kitchen I go!

Now that you mentioned you have tried sketching, ceramics,and jewelry making, I’d love to see your creations. :) Really really love your dark, moody photographs you’ve been taking! And lemon and sage – wow, I can totally imagine these two together and how delicious it could be. We love lemon curd so much. I am very sure this lemon curd will replace our regular kind. Thanks for the recipe!

Your story sounds similar to mine. I have also always been creative and artistic, but nothing every stuck. Until I started cooking! And now I am really loving learning about photography, light and styling photos. I have always looks to your photos for inspiration! It can be really hard and finding the right light is challenging in my overly sunny house, but I like learning!

I am drawn to color for inspiration. And am ever grateful I can see colors! (A gift those who are color blind would love to have!) I am a lover of all thing lemon and find the Lemon Sage Curd just spectacular! From the fabulous pairing of flavors to the stunning photos, a scrumptious post!

Beautiful styling and photography, Jen! Love it, love it. I just adore lemon and sage together in savory dishes…and, can just taste this lemony-sagy curd in my head! Outstanding. You are an inspiration. Thanks for sharing, girl!

You are such an inspiration! Lately I have been in a bit of a rut, and I always find myself coming back to your gorgeous recipes and photographs. This recipe looks positively divine. Thanks for sharing it!

Hi Mary! I’ve never stored curd for an extended period of time. Have you ever tried canning? If you’re planning to give the curd as gifts that might be your best bet. I trust this blog quite a bit and she says her canned lemon curd has a shelf life of 2 months:http://foodinjars.com/2010/01/meyer-lemon-curd. If you aren’t planning to can it, store it in the refrigerator. I would assume in that case the shelf life would equal the shelf life of the eggs used in the recipe.

My spouse and I like to listen to Splendid Table together–it’s funny, I’m realizing how I never listen to NPR without him. My son flipped through the channels and stopped on This American Life today, and I realized it’s been months and months since we’ve heard that show.
Next month, we’ll all be listening to Splendid Table together. :)

Thanks for a lovely series of photos and a terrific idea. I’m inspired to try this when I get sage from the farm share.

Ah this looks so lovely! I am obsessed with citrus-anything, especially citrus desserts and citrus curd. I don’t think I ever would have thought of adding sage to it, but I can just imagine how extra-flavorful that must make it.

(And I love the Splendid Table, too! Also– even though I barely ever remember to go listen to it– America’s Test Kitchen radio.)

Jennifer, I love The Splendid Table– big fan– and I am a lover of lemon curd! To fill a tart, fill Madeleines, spread on scones! Love the addition of sage!! Brilliant! I am enjoying your blog, terrific!

This is what you do best, take incredible images. It is like an intoxication…I love photography too. Am not as good as you but it fulfills something deep inside. something hard to express but feels like a million bucks !! I love what you did here.

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